Fantastic early funk from Daft Punk – at once future and retro, and definitely at the level that was about to make these guys huge players in the global scene! The sounds here really follow some of the best French experiments of previous decades – the electro disco of Cerrone, some of the freakier spacier fuzzier club styles of the late 70s/early 80s world, and even that return to bold dancefloor modes from 90s giants like Bob Sinclar! Yet at the same time, these guys really break out of the dancefloor underground – and somehow manage to wrap everything together as the new voice of pop music – one that doesn't always need a vocal in the lead, as long as the other elements are this great. Titles include "Superheroes", "Harder Better Faster Stronger", "Aerodynamic", "Short Circuit", "Too Long", "Face To Face", "High Life", "Nightvision", and "Crescendolls". CD

Back in the day, we never would have thought that the film Tron would have had such a great revival in the 21st Century – but then again, we also might never have guessed that a group like Daft Punk would make the movie sound so great! At some level, the 80s retro fusion of the film is the perfect setting for Daft Punk – as it allows them to really play well with all their classic keyboard styles, while also pushing things with a nice sense of drama too – really surprising us when the larger orchestrations bring just the right touch to the electric elements at the core. Titles include "Solar Sailer", "Disc Wars", "Rectifier", "Outlands", "Rinzler", "Arena", "Armory", "The Son Of Flynn", "Arrival", "CLU", and "Derezzed". CD

Kanye's tightest, most heavily synth soaked set yet – and possibly the best – a leap ahead for his evolving sound! Graduation gleams and shines more than it bounces on the bottom end, and if his LP titles to date overtly suggest that this caps off a trilogy – it really goes beyond the title – it's POST Graduation! By the end of Late Registration Kanye was dabbling in hip hop symphonies (for the better) with a few too many skits, but this one's all laser beam efficiency with a human heartbeat. Kanye's moved on, well past our expectations anyway, and he better not call the next one Class Reunion. A bunch of these cuts could rule several radio formats, and they sound great in the headphones, too. To tell the truth, any modern hip hop record with a big fat (and surely expensive) Steely Dan sample is going get an automatic recommendation from us, but Graduation works for us for many more reasons than that alone. Well done, Kanye! "Good Morning", "Champion", the Daft Punk-ed hit "Stronger", "I Wonder", "Good Life", "Can't Tell Me Me Nothing", "Barry Bonds" with Lil Wayne, "Drunk And Hot Girls" with Mos Def, "Flashing Lights" with Dwele, "Everything I Am" with DJ Premier, "Homecoming" and "Big Brother". CD